Objective To investigate the clinical features of intrahepatic arteriovenous shunt(AVS) in patients with hepatic carcinoma. Method The clinical data including results of therapy of 538 hepatic carcinoma patients admitted between 1996 and 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. Results There were 71 cases of AVS altogether with 61 cases of arterio-portal shunt and 8 cases of hepatic arterio-venous shunt. Thirty out of 39 AVS cases with fistula formed between hepatic artery and main portal branch developed portal hypertension. The patients received a total of 84 sessions of transarterial chemotherapy and embolization(TACE) with a success rate of 61%(51 sessions).After TACE liver failure ensued in 3 cases. The mean survival time of these patients was 5.77 months. Conclusion Arterio-portal/venous fistula is a common complication among hepatic carcinoma patients which often predicts poor prognosis. A high percentage of AVS patients will not tolerate TACE and in which the portal hypertension will be exacerbated.